The Shadow Box of Memories
by Serys
Summary: [Sequel to Deal With The Devil] AU - Her life was entwined with his from the very beginning.
1. Chapter 1

I finally got around to posting this story. It isn't completely finished yet, but I do have a huge chunk of it done. And honestly, I just really wanted to post this for those who were interested in seeing a continuation.

So, If you haven't read _Deal With The Devil_, I advise you to do so now. Reading won't take long, and it will give you a little glimpse into the world I am about to introduce here... and maybe give you some answers about how everything came to be.

But to everyone else, happy reading!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII, nor it's characters.**

* * *

_Beyond the dreams_  
_lies the reality you wish you lived._

Gray eyes gazed curiously out of one of the many windows in the Shinra Mansion.

Yuffie held her head in the palm of her hands, her eyes never leaving the view of the dark Nibelheim sky. Several shades of gray that she didn't even know existed laid across the sky, clouds pulsating with a life of their own as they propelled across her vision by some nameless magic. It was such a strange sight to her. She had never witness a sky look so alive before.

Yuffie wasn't sure how long it had been since she crossed over. Here, there seemed to be no sense of time. It may have been days, perhaps even weeks since she found herself in this demented parallel world. Sunlight was non-existent, there was not a ray of shine anywhere, but at the same time, the nights did not come. The atmosphere outside felt heavy, it looked heavy, like a moment before a huge thunderstorm came in, only that moment was stuck on repeat.

Her gaze fell from the window, no longer wanting to see the depressing view of the stark reality she was still in. Her appetite had vanished the moment she realized that she wasn't dreaming the nightmare. She couldn't eat; didn't want to. Sleeping was not even an option. She knew what was waiting for her the moment she closed her eyes. She knew she would see him, fall under the spell of his face, his words. Her body would sing and dance under his hands, and his mouth would leave her trembling until he commanded she beg for more.

And she would wake up, drenched in her own sweat, and frustrated beyond all reasoning.

Yuffie shivered just thinking about it. She quickly rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the memory of her last dream.

He was there. He was always there. Always hovering over her. His eyes, red as scarlet, would glow, leaving her mesmerized. His hands were skilled, his mouth teasing. And he would speak to her, his voice a low rumble, filled with lust, power, but his lips would never move. And then he was inside her, and she would gasp and scream and plead until he gave her what she desperately wanted. Again and again.

Yuffie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her face instantly heating up at the vivid memory. This was torture. Complete and utter torture.

She knew the dreams weren't just dreams. The powerful feelings that were invoked within her felt more than just a silly illusion. And everywhere she went, his scent would linger. Around her, on her flesh, like his very being was imprinted into all of her five senses. She felt him everywhere. It was maddening.

She didn't understand him. She didn't understand his constant focus on her. Why he tormented her to the brink of insanity. Why he showed himself only in her dreams.

Most of all, Yuffie didn't understand the pull from inside herself. Why she desperately wanted to see him, to touch him, taste him, but at the same time, despise herself for even wanting to do so. She was like an addict, aware of the poison that lurked in her mind, her body, but unable to cure it. Not wanting to cure it.

She didn't understand any of it.

Even so, Yuffie knew one thing was for certain.

She hated the one who called himself Vincent.


	2. Chapter 2

_Find the demon_  
_to put your soul to sleep._

Yuffie stood alone, unmoving in the bedroom that led to the basement. Her eyes were hard, narrow. Her teeth clenching, her lips tight and formed into a deep, prominent frown. The door before her, the only thing separating her from Vincent, fueled her anger and frustration. And it stood there, seemingly staring back at her, baiting her, mocking her situation, and daring her to break it down.

She had come to the conclusion a long time ago that she was a prisoner in this mansion, and she wanted nothing more than to yank the door open, stomp down those stairs, wrap her hands around Vincent's neck and choke the undead out of him.

But no. It wasn't going to be that simple. It was never that simple. And if Yuffie was known for one thing, it was that she didn't do things simple.

She picked up the closest thing to her; a wooden chair embroidered with a deep blue cloth with fine carvings along the legs. Her emotions boiled up to a breaking point, anger ruling over all the others. She hauled it in the air, a deep sense of satisfaction flowing through her at the sound of chair cracking against the basement door.

To put it simply, Yuffie was completely at her wit's end.

"Let me the FUCK out of here, you damn FREAK!"

Yuffie wasn't the type to sit idly by and wait for something to happen, but what other choice did she have? She was alone, exhausted and admittedly hungry.

She stomped out of the room, knocking various paintings off the wall in her wake. Yuffie needed to see him. If Vincent came to her quietly, she would give him the chance to explain himself, and she would give him whatever he wanted, within reason of course, and they could part ways amicably and live the rest of their lives pretending that this never happened.

_Big fat chance that was ever going to happen._

Yuffie sighed, rubbing her face. The desire to sleep was closing in on her mind. She didn't know how long it was since she last slept, but she knew soon, it would consume her whether she wanted to or not. The last thing that Yuffie needed was for her to dream about Vincent.

The sting of tears came to her eyes, and she let them fall. Yuffie hated crying, but she found it was the only thing that kept her from going insane.

_Tifa... Cloud. Please, help me._

Cloud. What would he do in this situation? Yuffie knew he would have found a way to escape by now, but she had tried everything. She tried breaking the windows, kicking down the front door, even digging her way out, but nothing worked. It was like the whole mansion was protected from the inside out.

There was movement. Yuffie's eyes caught something peculiar out from the windows, and she moved in closer to get a better look.

There was a figure, a person, and it looked familiar. Her brows furrowed, her heart thumping with hope. It couldn't be...

"Cloud?"

She could only see the side of his face, but there was no mistaking the blond hair and the prominent spikes on his head. It was Cloud.

"Cloud! Cloud!" His face was like cool water flowing over her burning soul. It was salvation, and Yuffie felt like crying from happiness. She immediately ran to the door, Cloud on the other side. She wondered how he got here, but if he found a way to her, he certainly knew how to get back, right?

"Yuffie." His voice did sound a bit off, but she didn't care. She was too happy to finally see a friendly face around here.

"Open the door," he said as he tried to push. "I can't get in."

"Idiot! Don't you think I tried that already?" With all her might, Yuffie pulled on the handle, but the door wouldn't budge. "It's locked somehow!"

From the other side, she could hear Cloud curse. "What are we gonna do?" Desperation was tangled in her voice. The image of Cloud had renewed her hope, and she could taste the freedom. Her only worry now was that she would have enough time to escape before Vincent showed up.

"Stand back," he commanded.

Yuffie took a few steps away from the door. It took several strong kicks, but under the force of Cloud's boot, the door finally fell over with a loud bang.

When Yuffie saw Cloud's form in the doorway, she dove to embrace him. Her head buried in the crook of his neck, and she grasp the blue sweater he wore between her fingers. Her mind relaxed at the familiarity of it all. Who knew that Cloud could act so heroic? It almost made her wish that Tifa didn't have dibs on him first. Almost. "How did you find me?"

Cloud turned his face away and ignored her question. He seemed to be in a hurry. "Let us go, this place reeks."

Yuffie looked confused for a moment, but agreed. No need to tell her twice. She didn't want to be here any longer than she had to anyway.

Cloud grabbed her wrist, his grip like a vice, and took the lead out of the mansion. His footsteps were quick and wide, and Yuffie, being a foot shorter than him, had trouble keeping up. If she didn't know any better, it felt like she was being dragged along rather than led away.

"How did you find me?" Yuffie asked again as she tried to gain her footing for the third time.

Cloud ignored her.

"Where are we going?" Trip.

Nothing. Not even a glance back.

"Are we heading toward the mountains?" Yuffie questioned as she caught a glimpse of the arched rocks and the spooky fog surrounding it's tips. She definitely didn't want to go there. The place looked scarier than the mansion. "Do you think that's a good idea? I mean, I hear there are demons lurking around here." Stumble.

Not a single word was uttered from the man.

Yuffie pulled on his arm with her free hand. She wanted him to at least acknowledge her existence. What has gotten into him? "Cloud, slow the fuck down!" She understood that now wasn't the time to stop, but what bugged her the most was the fact that he avoided her face. It set off all kinds of alarms in her head. What was he hiding from her? And why the hell was he being so damn rude?

"Dammit, Cloud, look at me!" Yuffie yanked her wrist free from his hold and halted her steps. It was then that she noticed something in his demeanor had changed.

"What a fool, Vincent is." Cloud's shoulders started to shake as he began laughing. The sound alone was strange to her. Cloud didn't laugh like that. "Leaving his human alone for anyone to gobble her up."

_What...?_

Yuffie took a couple steps away from him. That was when she noticed Cloud's voice wasn't Cloud's.

"It is too easy to deceive you humans." His raspy voice crippled her nerves, and Yuffie stood frozen in her place. "So quickly you place your trust in appearance."

Cloud finally turned toward her. She wanted to see the face of her friend. That silly awkward smile, the light sky blue of his eyes. She wanted him to laugh at her and say 'Fooled you!'.

But Cloud's expression was dark. And his eyes...

They were completely black.

Anger was the first thing Yuffie felt. Anger, and then betrayal. She knew it wasn't Cloud, but luring her into a sense of false security by using him, his face? That was completely crossing all the lines. "You fucking bastard."

Cloud smirked, the simple twist of his lips looked more evil and sinister than the usual mischievous expression held. "You don't like it?" He poked and prodded at the light pale skin of his face. Both hands reached behind his head, and he pulled ferociously at his blond hair.

Yuffie stood, horror-stricken, at the image of Cloud's body melting, ripping into the appearance of jagged horns, wings and purple rough skin. She screeched, her knees going weak. "Holy what the hell!"

Whatever it was, it grinned at her, the large canines lapping over his purple lips which made him look all the more menacing. Was this what Vincent had warned her about? Was this a demon? Was it Chaos?

"You are an interesting little human." His voice, now rough and deep. It sliced through her head and left her feeling uneasy. Now she knew why Cloud's voice sounded a bit off, how could she have dismissed something so crucial?

Yuffie took another step away from him, a sharp coldness pooling in her stomach. She wasn't just scared, seeing a demon in the flesh was even more terrifying than any nightmare her brain can come up with. And right now, the image of Vincent didn't seem so bad. She'd gladly take the vampire over the demon any day. "I somehow don't find that to be a compliment."

He took a deep breath, his black eyes locked on her gray ones. "His stench consumes this place. It consumes you as well. It is disgusting. I will rid of it."

She was sure that Chaos could hear the hard thumping of her heart, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. "You're going to kill me?"

Chaos laughed, or maybe it roared. She couldn't tell the difference between the two. "I know an opportunity when I see one. Humans don't come here often, but I shall make sure that I am gentle this time. I have learned that you are very fragile creatures."

His words left her mouth dry, and she was beginning to feel sick. Yuffie had no idea what his statement meant. Humans? Was her species some sort of a rare commodity in this world? And more importantly, what was he going to do with her?

A single shot sounded through the air, and she heard Chaos' surprised groan.

Yuffie jumped back in retaliation of the noise, her eyes wide. A figure of crimson and black stood before her, and she immediately recognized it. "Vincent!" Her cry sounded more like relief than anything else. The lesser of the two evils. Now he decides to show his face. Even so, Yuffie had never been so happy to see him.

"It is not fair, Valentine, hogging her all to yourself," Chaos sneered, seemingly not at all bothered by Vincent's sudden appearance and the three large gaping wounds that now laid against his side from the bullet impacts. "Perhaps you should share, you know how I like my human." His black eyes veered over toward Yuffie, his grin widening. It looked as if he wanted to devour her. "Pretty and female."

_Oh, grossness!_

"Begone, Chaos." Vincent's voice was steady, raising a triple-barreled revolver in the face of the demon. He wasn't in the mood for any banter, especially with Chaos. "Or do you want more holes in your body? Preferably in your head."

"Oh, Valentine, we have been through this many times before." Chaos didn't seem the least bit worried. "But I do like a good chase. I will leave for now, but know that this isn't over."

His wings expanded, black, red, and intimidating. They flapped once, twice, propelling himself up in the air, the backlash of wind finally knocking Yuffie back to the ground. Chaos studied her, eyes gleaming, grinning. And she sat there, staring up at him. There was a dangerous aura to Chaos, she noticed. He was death incarnate. Haunting, beautiful in a weird, creepy way, and she was mesmerized by it.

And then Chaos was gone, toward the mountains he flew. It took Yuffie a few quick moments to gain her bearings, not fully believing that demons really do exist and that she just had her first real brush with one.

Vincent was immediately at her side, grabbing her arm. He yanked her toward him.

"Hey, watch it, jerk! You're going to break my arm!" Yuffie cried.

He glared at her and said nothing. Instead, he led her back toward the desolate town that was Nibelheim.

Yuffie's eyes widen and she tried twisting her arm out of his grasp, digging her shoes into the dirt. She had to fight him off, she couldn't go back there. "Screw you, vampire! I ain't going back to that prison! Nuh uh, no way, no how! You might as well leave me to my death out here where the squirrels are probably big enough to eat me!"

"You would be so lucky if that was to be your fate." Vincent's anger seemed to be fueled by her words, and his hold on her tightened, pulling her harder. Yuffie tripped under his fast pace, her mind spinning. With all the rough treatment she was receiving, she felt more like a rag doll than an actual human that everyone seemed to want a piece of.

Before she could blink, he had her back at the mansion, behind the door that was free from damage. Vincent closed it, a light click following after, sealing her to her doom. Cloud, or rather, Chaos, had kicked it down earlier, and she remembered it cracked and split straight down the middle. However, Yuffie's matters weren't with the door, but rather the man standing in front of it.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" She began, her anger came back in full force, words now marching out of her mouth. "You can't treat me like this! It's called kidnapping, and it's illegal where I come from! So you'd best bring me back home or I'm going to get super pissed and kick your ass!"

Vincent was clearly not amused, which was fine with her because neither was she. And it was about damn time he showed up. She had been waiting a long time for this confrontation.

"I don't know what the hell is going on, or what kind of world this is. It's creepy, scary, and I know that I don't belong here! Whatever your problem is, it has nothing to do with me," she continued on. "I am sorry that I trespassed into that dump of a mansion you called your home, it was a stupid mistake, and I promise to not speak a word of this if you just let me go." Yuffie mentally prayed to all the deities in existence that he had enough sense to actually listen to her.

Instead, Vincent fisted a lock of her hair and yanked her head back. He ignored her surprised gasp, his anger blinding him to her obvious discomfort. "You foolish girl!" He snarled, "do you realize how close you came to losing your life?!"

Her mouth opened into a silent scream as all color drained from her face. Yuffie had never seen someone this angry before. Vincent's eyes glowed deep red, and it pulsed. Lips thinned against bared teeth, canines growing into sharp deadly fangs ever so closer to her face. He looked like a rabid animal straight out of a horror film. All that was missing was the grotesque saliva oozing from his mouth.

Fortunately for Yuffie, she wasn't a person to back down when it came to a battle of words, and she certainly wasn't going to let this asshole intimidate her.

"What would you have me do?" She hissed. The level of audacity this man had astounded her. Who the he'll was this guy to tell her anything? "Sit here and wait for you to show your face? Ha! Whenever the hell that may be. Right about now, death at the hands of that thing sounds a lot more pleasing than spending another second here with you!"

Vincent slammed her against the wall with the force of his body. His head bent down close enough that she could feel the tips of his dark hair brush against her cheeks. "Don't think for a moment that Chaos would have showed you any mercy. He would have you on a leash, drained you of your blood until you were at the edge of death, and as soon as you gained color to your face, he would have done it again, and again."

Yuffie was panting, his words ringing in her ears. Drained to the edge of death? A blood slave? She wasn't sure if it was the fact that her life could have gotten a whole lot worse or if it was the close proximity of his body. The way he had her pinned against the wall was becoming less than an act of anger, and more of a wanting of intimacy.

Vincent seemed to notice it as well. "I apologize for hurting you." He refused to release his hold on her. Instead, his teeth grazed at the base of her neck, and she felt the sharp prick of his fangs. Pleasure spiked through her body, and without any thought of her own, Yuffie turned her head away, baring her neck, strangely eager for him to take.

"No, there are more pressing matters to deal with."

Yuffie watched him turn away and leave, the scarlet cape swinging dramatically behind him as he did so. She was shocked, embarrassed, ashamed and down right infuriated. She also felt the sting of rejection no matter how hard she tried to push it down.

It was only when Yuffie heard the door to the basement open, then slam shut did she finally allow herself to pass out.


	3. Chapter 3

_Seek the protection from_  
_the voices inside your head._

Yuffie was thankful the moment she opened her eyes.

No waking up in a cold sweat. No feelings of frustration and shame. Vincent wasn't in her dreams, making her feel things she didn't want to feel. In fact, she didn't believe she dreamed at all. She had finally gotten a peaceful rest, and it was glorious. Not knowing how long she slept, but waking up in the usual manner that she was used to, albeit on the floor, was something she was very grateful for.

Upon realizing that, her mind decided to take notice of all the aches in her body.

Yuffie rolled onto her back, stretching and yawning as she did so. She caught the sight of her wrist, and it had her taking a double look. At first glance, it looked like she was wearing some kind of wrist band, but upon further inspection, it was actually her skin. It was dark, almost black. It was also very conspicuous. Was it a mark, or perhaps a bruise? No, it looked more like a hand print. Yuffie groped it hesitantly, wrapping her hand around her wrist and squeezed. It didn't hurt, nor did it feel sore.

_Hmmm, weird._

Did Chaos do this? He was rough with her, his grip was like a vice, and he practically dragged her out of the mansion by her wrist. Or was it Vincent? He had almost snapped her arm clean off and even hauled her back. Maybe it was all the man-handling from both Chaos and Vincent that was to blame.

_Seriously, what is with the men in this world? Are they all like this?_

Yuffie took a survey around only to confirm what she already knew.

Once again, Vincent was no where in sight. It was no surprise.

_The bastard is hardly ever around._

Of course, she became angry at him whenever he showed himself to her, however rare that was, but that was besides the point. He brought her into this world, his world, the least he could do was stick around while she glared at him with all the hate she could muster.

Despite her thoughts, Yuffie wanted to try a different approach. Maybe if she wasn't mentally and verbally striking Vincent down with misery and doom, he would be more inclined to her, and in turn, he would let her go. Honey always caught more bees than vinegar ever did.

So she shuffled up the staircase, turning right, right, left. She was really starting to hate this damned room, not to mention the entire mansion itself. How long had she been here? Days? Weeks?

_Ha! Cloud, I totally rocked our bet. You owe me big time._

Then she sighed and mentally prepared herself.

"Vincent?" Yuffie knocked lightly, her voice was soft and airy, hoping it was enough to coax the man out of his hiding place. "Viiinceeeent!" she sang, "I'm not mad at you anymore, okay? So could you come out now, pleeeease?"

There was no response. Yuffie listened for a shuffle of noise on the other side. She doubt he was there, but she couldn't help but feel the paranoia sink in that something was going to stab her through her head the moment she pressed her ear against the door.

"Vince?" she called out again, louder this time. "You in there, buddy?"

Yuffie flicked her tongue along the back of her front teeth. Still nothing.

"Vinnie." Her face immediately crunched up into a disgusted frown. Vinnie? Where the hell did that come from? That didn't sound right. Vinnie was a name that belonged to something cute and fluffy, like a cat. It was hardly fitting for a dark, brooding and angry vampire.

Yuffie whined. Playing nice to someone who didn't deserve it was exhausting, and to have your efforts go to waste was even more frustrating. Deciding she had enough of willingly being on the other end of his silent treatment, Yuffie slammed an open palm against the basement door. "Vincent, I'm starving, so get your lazy ass up here and feed me, you bastard!"

She turned to leave, stomping out of the room.

The nerve of this guy. What was he going to do? Leave her here, locked up and alone, without food to eat? How long could she survive this, anyway? It was slow mental torture. It felt like ages since she had seen another person, let alone talked to anyone else. Vampires and Demons did not count as people. Yuffie was a social person, and she liked being with others. Unfortunately, people like her did not thrive in places like this. In prisons. No matter how someone tried to dress the mansion up with classy furniture or high ceilings with sparkling chandeliers; it was still a prison. Still a cage.

"Hello, hello!"

_Who the..._

Yuffie stood at the top of the stairs, casting her eyes down below.

There was a woman standing in the middle of the foyer. Her light brown hair was neatly braided and tossed over her right shoulder, topping the style with a pink bow. Her long pink dress split from the bottom up with a deep red bolero jacket. The brown boots looked a bit out of place with the whole girly get-up. What was this woman doing here?

"Who are you?" Yuffie watched with curiosity as the woman in question bent down to set a medium sized basket of flowers on the floor. She carefully approached her, briefly wondering how this woman is able to enter the mansion so easily while she herself had so much trouble leaving it.

"My name is Aerith," she simply said. "I was called here by Vincent. You were attacked yesterday?"

What? Yesterday? Has it already been a day since it happened? And Vincent? He called her? This woman? What exactly was this woman? Her face was friendly looking enough, if the bright green eyes and the pleasant smile on her face was anything to go by. But Yuffie was quick to learn to not trust anything in this place. "No, no." She kept her distance, eyeing the other woman. "That's not what I meant... but... what are you?"

"Oh." Aerith had the decency to look embarrassed, her smile now awkward that it had Yuffie being reminded of Cloud for some reason. "I'm a Cetra, through and through."

A Cetra? Yuffie had never heard of that word before. "I don't know what that means."

"Ummm, I guess you can say that I am a witch, although I really dislike the term," Aerith said. "I am also a friend of Vincent."

"I didn't know he had any friends." Yuffie meant for it to sound like an insult, but it came out more like a passing thought. She certainly didn't believe Vincent had friends, especially ones who looked this sweet and innocent.

"You must be Yuffie." The tilt of Aerith's head and the smile on her face had Yuffie questioning about what she heard about her. She didn't trust a word that came out of Vincent's mouth. He must have told her tons of fake stories about her.

"Whatever he said, it's not true. I will speak for myself," Yuffie declared.

"No no, nothing bad, I assure you!" Aerith giggled. "It's just strange for Vincent to...you know, do this sort of thing."

"Holy crap, you know?!"

"I have known for a while, but Vincent wouldn't allow me to visit. But from what happened yesterday, he told me it was important that I come."

"Chaos," Yuffie supposed.

She nodded. "Chaos has marked you." If Aerith didn't have such a serious face, Yuffie would have laughed. But, marked? What did that mean?

As if she was reading her thoughts, the Cetra elaborated. "You have demon scent all over you."

"Oh, grossness!" Yuffie shrieked, pulling at her clothes. She wasn't exactly sure what to look for. "Did he pee on me!?"

"No, Yuffie..." Aerith sighed. "Did he make contact with you? Did he touch you?"

Yuffie thought for a moment, remembering her encounter with Chaos. "Actually, yeah, he did..." She raised her left hand, showing the darkened bruise that wrapped around her entire wrist. It was clear as day where Chaos' fingers laid. "It'll go away, right?"

"No, Yuffie, it won't." Aerith dug through her basket, pulling out a jug of wood free from decorations. It was filled with what sounded like liquid. She popped the cap off. "Drink this," she said, handing it to her. "It's blessed moon water."

Yuffie looked confused, staring into the container like it held some sort of disease. "Say what now?"

But Aerith, patient as ever, explained it to her calmly. "It will cleanse, and rid your body of all imbalances."

Yuffie was not believing a word she was saying.

Aerith sighed, rolling her eyes. She had forgotten the skepticism that humans were naturally known for. "Just drink it, please," she said. "It's not going to hurt you." A smirk. "Or are you scared?"

Yuffie scoffed. "Hell no," she protested and gulped the water down. She didn't know why she expected it to taste strange, it tasted like any other water she drank back home.

_Home..._

It felt like ages since she last slept in her comfy bed or had a nice relaxing bubble bath. Also, her two best friends; Tifa and Cloud. They must be worried sick about her her right now. She can just picture Tifa wringing her hands, creating traffic areas all around her apartment, and Cloud scurrying after her, trying to calm her down. It would have been comical only if Yuffie herself knew when she was going to get to come back home.

_Cloud..._

"Hey, Aerith," she said, "can demons... transform?"

"Hmmm." The other woman thought for a moment. "Not exactly," she finally said. "Demons are tricksters. They like to play with your head. They'll conjure up anyone you trust, and use them to get close to you. They can't actually shape-shift; their powers don't fall into that kind of category, but they can trick your mind into believing that you are seeing a friend, a family member, anyone that is familiar to you."

Yuffie breathed in, not liking this at all. Chaos' dangerous level just upped to the very top of dangerous with that new bit of information. "He can get inside my head?"

Aerith nodded. "With his mark, it will be easier for him to do so," she explained, "but that will fade soon, along with his connection to you. I've also placed repel spells at each and every corner outside of the mansion, so Chaos shouldn't be able to step inside this place again."

"Shouldn't," Yuffie repeated, feeling unconvinced.

"Yes." Aerith nodded, reaching back into her basket, shuffling through the flowers there. She pulled out what looked like a charm hanging from a silver chain. The pendant was in a shape of a teardrop with four small jagged lines connecting to a simple green gem in the middle.

Aerith placed it in the palm of Yuffie's hand.

"What's this?" she asked, running an index finger over the small looking orb. Not once did Yuffie hold something this beautiful before. It looked like it was piece of jewelry for royalty.

"It's a talisman," Aerith answered. The smile was gone from her face. "The object holds a powerful influence. It will keep Chaos and his minions at bay, at least."

Yuffie did not miss a word in that sentence. The list of bad things in this world just kept growing and growing. "Minions? You mean there are more?"

Aerith looked grave, and she nodded, "Yes, there are three others under his care. He calls them his children, but they are nothing more than slaves to his power."

Yuffie had her brows raised and looked down at the small pendant now hanging around her neck. How was she suppose to feel safe with four demons running around here? Will it protect her against Vincent as well? "And are you sure this works?"

Something in Aerith's face didn't give Yuffie the answer she was looking for, and the girl grew nervous under the silence.

"Aerith?"

"I-I don't actually know if it works," she told Yuffie honestly. "There has been no way to actually test it's powers, but inside this, there is a holy magic that the demons can't touch." Aerith looked sad at the dejected expression on Yuffie's face. "I'm sorry, Yuffie. Humans... they don't exactly last long here."

That was the opposite of what she wanted to hear. Yuffie cleared her throat, swallowing the lump that formed there. "Why do you say that?"

"They are targeted because of their blood," Aerith said. "Blood that has been infused with magic is black and very bitter, not really appetizing for those that rely on it."

"Like Vincent," Yuffie concluded.

She nodded. "Right, but human blood, it's rich and sweet. The most dangerous of them all, vampires and demons, have been known to fight over it." Pity was clearly shown on Aerith's face. "And Vincent, being Vincent, he has been living off of animals in your world, and unfortunately, he feels that he has no other option," she said, walking back to the front door of the mansion. Yuffie's eyes followed her every move.

Then Aerith stopped, turning to her. "Oh! wait, I guess that isn't true, he has been known to kill those who trespass against him on the other side, but that is on very rare occasions."

_Great, and I'm next._

Despite that everything she had learned, nothing Aerith told her explained the reason why Vincent wanted, and continued, to keep her here in this place. It didn't explain why he had her dreaming of him, or why he refused to let her go. A blind man could see that Aerith was very beautiful. She was also sweet and kind, so that left more of a mystery as to why the hell Vincent was so focused on her instead. What purpose could she serve that Aerith couldn't?

The door to the mansion opened, but Yuffie didn't have the heart to run anymore. All the dangers and warnings about Chaos and his other demons had her feet planted firmly where she stood. She was finally beginning to realize the seriousness of the situation she was in, and it scared her to death. The mansion, once viewed like a prison, was now a refuge from the evils outside. The important question now was how long will it keep her safe from them? How long could she hide?

"Zack!" Aerith called out.

_There is someone else with her?_

Yuffie waited for moments to see a dog- no, wait, it was too big to be a dog. Was it a wolf? It had a light gray mane with the rest of it's body encased in fur ranging between white to dark gray. There was an unmistakable sense of strength in his four legs as it pulled with it's mouth some sort of wagon to the door.

"What's this?" Yuffie asked.

Aerith took the handle from the wolf's mouth, pulling the wagon rest of the way into the mansion. It carried several white plastic bags. In it, there was bread, yogurt, vegetables and fruits. Chips, cereal, deli meats and cheeses. It carried bags of food. Food! Yuffie was sure she was salivating on sight. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. Aerith must really be an angel.

"Where did you get all this?" Yuffie asked, rummaging through the food. Her hunger intensified with every moment she stared at the glossy wrapping of each goody.

Aerith smiled, looking at her quizzically. "Why, at the grocery store, of course!" she said. "What a silly thing to say, Yuffie."

"Grocery store?" Yuffie looked at her with disbelief. For a place riddled with supernatural beings like demons and vampires, and now werewolves and cetras, the term grocery store sounded so foreign to her.

"Well, Vincent said you were in need of food, so Zack and I went shopping for you. Sorry that it took a bit to get it here."

"Zack?" Yuffie asked, pointing to the wolf sitting next to her.

"Yes, this is Zack," Aerith answered, bending her knees so she was at height level with him. She scratched lightly under his chin, giggling at his cute happy expression. "My bodyguard. He is in his were form because of how unsafe Nibelheim is."

"I see..." Yuffie trailed. It was strange to consider Nibelheim so dangerous. Her Nibelheim, albeit small, was a choice place to live. The most that the inhabitants had to worry about was wild animals eating their food crops. That last thought had her asking another question.

"And where do you live?"

"Gongaga. It's a day's drive south from here."

"Oh... I know of that place."

Aerith nodded, pulling the wagon toward the room that was the kitchen. Zack stayed by the door. "Right. This world runs parallel to yours, and to keep out the confusion, towns, cities, and villages all have the same name."

"Confusion?" Yuffie followed after her. She pondered for a moment about the woman. This place was a perfect example of a labyrinth. It was huge, beautiful. It also had many rooms, and rooms within rooms, and rooms within rooms within rooms. But Aerith, she seemed to know where to go. How familiar was she with Vincent's home? Did she come here often? Did she and Vincent...

_Oh, brain, don't you go there._

"We know about your world, and we cross over a lot."

The statement had Yuffie stopping in her tracks. "I've never heard about you before."

"Of course you have," Aerith countered. "You've heard about witches, and vampires, fairies, and demons. Where do you think the stories all come from?"

"Over-active imaginations from sugar-high children with nothing better to do," Yuffie quipped.

"Well, there are some who don't care for order between the dimensions. Demons are usually the ones to break the rules. The reason why we keep it a secret from humans is because we don't want to cause widespread panic and have everyone freak out, but I see that you are taking all of this very well."

Yuffie shrugged. "Oh, don't worry, my brain is deciphering each and every word before it slowly breaks apart and shuts down."

Aerith laughed, looking embarrassed. "Sorry, I just..." Her eyes caught view of the kitchen entrance, her smile fading. "Oh, hello, Vincent. You finally decided to join us?"

Yuffie's body immediately stiffened with her back facing the doorway. No doubt Vincent was standing there in all his dark and brooding glory, hiding behind that huge collar, and looking sexy as ever. She would have turned to face him if she didn't feel the glare of his eyes burning a hole into her back.

"Aerith." Vincent nodded toward her in greeting, his eyes never leaving Yuffie's form. "What did you give her?"

"Blessed moon water," she answered, placing the food into the cabinets and refrigerator. "Chaos' mark is already fading. It should be gone soon."

"I can see that, thank you." Vincent's tone was clipped, and he was frowning.

Yuffie breathed, her whole body flushing. She was completely mortified, hiding her wrist from his piercing gaze. She felt very insecure about the whole matter. It was no secret that Vincent and Chaos were enemies. In the demon's first act against him, he broke into his home and marked her. She wasn't sure what that meant, but she knew that Vincent didn't like it. He could sense the demon's hold on her, and by that reason alone she felt really dirty.

_So that's why yesterday he didn't..._

"Why can't I reach her?" was Vincent's sudden question.

Yuffie was left confused. What was Vincent talking about? Reach her? What did that mean? Of course he could reach her, she was right there in front of him.

"Oh..." Aerith looked uneasy, glancing over at Yuffie, or particularly, the pendant hanging around her neck. "It must be the white materia. It's blocking your telepathy to her..."

"I don't like it," he said. "Take it off."

"What?!" Yuffie yelled, fisting the necklace in her hands. "No way in hell!" This...materia, or whatever it was, stopped his thought invading powers? Does that mean that Vincent couldn't read her mind? That he couldn't get inside her head?

"Vincent, it protects her from Chaos and his influence. Surely that is a little more important than you knowing what she is thinking," Aerith reasoned.

"I still don't like it."

"Who cares?!" There was no way Yuffie was going to hand this little piece of a miracle over over to Vincent. This was a whole new level of freedom from him. "Do you know how crazy you've been making me with your freaky mind-reading thing? I finally have privacy from you!"

Even though Yuffie was the one yelling at him, Vincent cast his glare at the Cetra.

Aerith's eyes went to the floor, and she coughed, scooting over toward the exit. "Well, I'll be going now." She turned to take her leave with Yuffie following close behind her.

"Uhh, are you sure you and little Zackie here don't want to stay? You aren't intruding at all, you know!" She mentally cursed Vincent. He probably scared her into leaving.

"It's fine! I should start getting back before it gets too late," she said with an uneasy smile. "I will see you soon, Yuffie."

Aerith was out the door, with Zack in toe. The door shut firmly behind them both.

Yuffie went immediately into attack mode. "Why did you have to go and chase them out? I liked her!"

Vincent was calm as he replied, "Aerith had other responsibilities to return to."

Yuffie had a retort forming in the back of her throat, but at the last second, she refrained from spitting them out. It was pointless to argue, she reasoned. Vincent was the most stubborn man she had ever known, vampire or not. Instead, Yuffie calmly brushed past him, and walked away. Back to the kitchen she went, hunger was finally calling to her attention.

She knew her anger was getting the best of her. She didn't understand why she was so pissed off. The sight of his face rose some sort of a deeper anger that she never felt before. It went past the fact that his hold on her was fixed, or that he subjected her to such a dangerous place.

She had to calm down and concentrate on a plan. Now that Vincent didn't have access to her thoughts, or implant any in her head, she was free to feel and think things on her own. His influence on her was gone. He may not be happy about it, but she wasn't going to hand over the one thing that kept her safe from him. And besides, he should be grateful for that. She was certain he was getting tired of the name calling through thought.

Hunger was twisting in her gut and pulling her mind at more important matters. She reached for the food stocked in the cabinets, pulling out cookies, chips and bottled warm water. She knew this wasn't the kind of food to eat while you were hungry, but they were the fastest to open and prepare. She would work on a proper meal when the hunger pains eased. She set her mouth to work, stuffing her face with as much as she could chew.

Soon, she would have to shower as well.

Vincent raised a dark brow, and if Yuffie had paid any attention, she would have noticed the smile he tried to keep off his face. "Manners, Yuffie?"

"I don't usually eat like this, ya know," Yuffie shrugged her shoulders, munching noisily on her food all the while glaring at the other man, "but I also don't get kidnapped and get taken to another world, either." She sighed dramatically, food crumbs flying from her mouth. "So you can see and understand that I just don't give a flying shit about my manners right now. And I'm hungry, so shove it!"

That's when she heard the low rumble of laughter. Yuffie had to do a double check to make sure that it was indeed coming from Vincent.

His laughter was rich, and it rushed over her senses. His face came alive, and he looked like a completely different person. His smile, the crinkle of his eyes, a glint of gaiety. She didn't understand what was so funny to him, but Yuffie found that she really, really liked hearing it. It was a beautiful sound.

The mirth was contagious, and Yuffie couldn't fight the smile from her face. She swallowed her food. "It's not that funny, ya know," she giggled, looking slightly perplexed. "What are we laughing about anyway?"

Vincent shook his head, smiling. To her, it felt like he was laughing at some sort of inside joke that she was obviously not a part of. "Nothing."

Then the walls were back up. Yuffie searched Vincent's face. There was a certain sad longing in his eyes, and for a reason she couldn't explain, it made her feel sad, too. It felt like there was something that he wasn't telling her, and what's more, it looked as if he wanted to tell her.

Yuffie sighed, feeling disheartened. Trust was the basic foundation of any good relationship. Trust. She had to get him to trust her. But why did it feel like that was close to impossible to do? Especially since she was the one feeling betrayed.

* * *

**A/N:** How has it been so far? Are any of you confused yet? I am really making nice progress with this story, and it will all come together very nicely in the end (I think, at least). For those of you looking for the M content of this piece, there will be lots in the next chapter and in the following ones as well. The romance will come, I promise. :P Thank you for sticking by this fic, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: This is a little warning for you guys: There will be M content in this chapter, so please do not read if you are offended by such things. Let's keep the flames out, eh? _**

**_Anyway, on with the story! _**

* * *

_Beware of the beast_  
_lurking just beneath the surface._

Yuffie laid under the blankets, stretching her limbs. Another day, another peaceful dreamless rest. Out of habit, her hand immediately came to her chest and felt around for the talisman. It rested there, safe with her. She gave a small sigh and furrowed deeper into the soft comfortable bed. It was surprising to her how quickly she took everything for granted. Food, rest, hot water, _privacy_...

Yuffie closed her eyes, searching her mind. She always heard a light ringing noise in her ears when she felt Vincent was in her head. But now, she heard nothing. Just...peaceful silence. Normally, Yuffie was a loud person, she talked loud, her personality was pretty flamboyant, and she was often with one of her friends. Enjoying the silence, she never found the fun in that because what was the point? But now she realized there was a certain... quality of silence that she was beginning to really understand and appreciate.

Along with food, Aerith had also left a couple bags of clothes. Yuffie felt a bit weird about wearing someone else's personal belongings, especially since they were mostly dresses. Yuffie didn't wear dresses, but there wasn't any other option. It seemed to be the only article of clothing style that Aerith owned. Even so, she had to admit that the light blue tank dress looked really cute on her. She patted the white materia underneath her clothing, sending another thanks to the Cetra.

Yuffie slipped out of bed, and immediately walked to the bathroom to do her normal morning routine.

Even though her problems seemed to be just piling up, Yuffie had managed to knock the third biggest one off the list. Having someone constantly being able to read her mind really put a huge damper in her life, not to mention Vincent's other freaky ability to implant pictures or speak to her in a way that didn't exactly require him to actually say anything. So yeah, thankfully that wasn't an issue anymore. And the others? She couldn't make up her mind if Vincent or Chaos was the number one threat to her, but they certainly made up the top two.

Well, perhaps Vincent was becoming less of a problem now. During the past few days, he has been showing himself a lot more lately. Their relationship was still a bit strained, and of course strange, but Yuffie appreciated the company nonetheless. They never really got far conversation wise. Whenever Yuffie pressed a certain matter, she would blink and he would be gone. It left her even more confused.

_I hate secrets, especially obvious ones that are being kept from me._

All she wanted was his reason, why he was doing this. Was that really too much to ask for? What was he so afraid of? Why did he not want her to know?

After Yuffie was done brushing her teeth, she set herself on getting the tangles out of her hair all the while staring intently at herself in the mirror.

_Maybe I look like one of his dead lovers._

The thought seemed very far fetched to her. Vincent seemed to be the type to go for the tall classy dressed women with hair reaching all the way to the floor, lips full and plumped and painted dark red. Yuffie.. well, if Yuffie had to describe herself, she was anything but that. She was short, but lithe, she had dark hair, but it wasn't long and she definitely didn't consider herself classy by any means. She was quirky, vivacious, and picturing her and Vincent together, it just... it didn't look right. She was everything he was not and vice versa.

_Well, they do say opposites attract._..

No. Nope. No way. She threw that thought away. Perhaps he was just a weirdo. A lonely weirdo. A lonely weirdo vampire.

_Vincent..._

She surprised herself when she began to feel pity for the man. He didn't seem to be the type with many friends. She met Aerith a few days ago, but the impression she got was that the relationship between her and Vincent seemed to be a bit one sided. Maybe he preferred to be alone? But that question left a bigger one on herself. It was strange. The more she tried to figure him out, the more of a mystery he became.

Yuffie sighed. She wasn't any close to coming up with an answer to any of the questions she had. Vincent was the one with all the pieces to her puzzle. And what was she suppose to do when he refused to give them to her?

She was brought out of her thoughts by a gentle flow of a musical echo. She stood in the middle of the bathroom she recently dubbed as hers, straining to hear more. Yuffie realized that the piano was being played downstairs. The keys had flowed through the mansion and reached her ears.

Yuffie dashed out of the bedroom, following the sound of the music. She was sure it was Vincent, and she didn't want to miss the opportunity to see him, another chance for some answers. Coming to the room which the music came out the loudest, Yuffie stood by the opened doorway and listened.

She remembered the melody. She remembered the night she heard it. It was the first time she step foot into the mansion on a stupid bet that her and Cloud made. She also remembered that it left her with tears in her eyes and a feeling of bitterness in her heart. It wasn't a sad song at all, and she was wondering why she thought of it like that.

_Are these...his feelings?_

No. They couldn't be. His hold over her was severed the moment she slipped the necklace on.

The song finally reached it's end, and it was then that Yuffie decided to make herself known. Silence permeated the room as they locked eyes.

Yuffie offered him a small smile. "You wrote that?"

Vincent closed the fall board, leaving an echo as he did so. "Yes." Yuffie hadn't known Vincent for very long, but she had come to recognize that his one word clipped answers weren't meant to offend her.

"It seems...so sad."

Vincent searched her face. "Why?"

The question confused her and she shrugged. Who knows why about anything in this place? "I don't know, it just does. When I heard it, I got this impression that...that something really bad happened, and it made me sad."

"Is that all?" he asked.

"I-I guess." Yuffie raised a brow. She wasn't sure what they were talking about anymore. Why did he have to always be so damn vague? "Did something bad happen?"

She had only been in his presence for two, maybe three minutes at the most before the questions started. Yuffie cursed her big mouth. She really wanted to have a decent conversation with him before she scared him away. Or at least work her magic and get answers without having to ask a question.

"Forget it. It's probably not important anyway." She dismissed her own question with a wave of a hand.

Her gaze went from his face to the windows. The dark gray clouds ever so present in the sky. Yuffie let out a huge sigh, wishing just once that the sun would make an appearance and light up this sorry looking place. The atmosphere around here was constantly dark and dreary, it was worse than those long boring rainy days she always hated back home. Not to mention the threat of Chaos still hung in the air like a foul stench the refused to go away.

Yuffie squirmed by the window, searching the sky for any sign of the winged demon.

The memory of his words lingered in the back of her mind. The statement he said about a chase didn't escape her, nor did the look he gave her when he said it. He thought of it as a game between the three of them. How long could she hide behind Vincent before he had enough of playing? The longer he appeared out of sight, the more it stretched her nerves. It felt like he was out there, waiting for the perfect time to strike at them, and here she was, like a bird in a cage, unaware of what kind of danger that lurked just outside the walls. A huge part of her wished he would do whatever he wanted to her and get it over with so she could stop stressing about it.

"Don't worry about Chaos."

"Huh?!" She turned to face him. How did he know what she was thinking?

"Your face betrays you." Vincent was looking at her with a frown. "Aerith is very thorough in her magic," he said. "He cannot enter."

He was so sure of his words that it had Yuffie scoffing. She didn't want to doubt Aerith's cetra powers, she didn't want to doubt the strength it had to keep Chaos away, but she found it hard to believe that enchantments and simple repel spells could prevent a demon that looked as scary as Chaos keep him from something he obviously wanted. And becoming Yuffie-jerky for him wasn't in her plans anytime soon.

"I don't know why you can't just-" Yuffie stopped, biting her tongue. She was going to say kill him, but what did it matter to him what happened to her anyway? Vincent viewed her the same way Chaos did. He was just protecting his own food from other greedy mouths. "Whatever."

Vincent said nothing, zoning in on the green orb resting just underneath her clothes. He probably, hopefully, couldn't see it, but that didn't mean he didn't know it was there. The fact that he couldn't reach her was a constant reminder that he couldn't control her.

And judging by his recent reactions to certain situations, he hated things being out of his control.

Yuffie fisted the pendant in her hand. She still didn't know what a materia was, but she knew she liked it a lot. She wondered if there was more than just the white? What if there was a yellow, or green, or purple or red?! What if they all had special powers like this one had?

_That would be so freaking awesome._

Vincent was now standing before her. He was so close that it had Yuffie taking a step back from him. The scent of leather, dark rich liquor and pure male invaded her senses and she was momentarily struck with an odd feeling of Deja vu. But before she could wonder and question the significance of it, she heard him speak.

"Take it off," was Vincent's sudden command.

Yuffie felt the fight within her rise. How many times was he going to say that? She was seriously getting tired of his pushy attitude. Perhaps it was time for Vincent to have a bit of a taste of his own medicine. Let's see how he likes it. "Oh?" she smirked, finding his glare not at all threatening. "Why don't you make me?"

Vincent bared his fangs at her, but Yuffie only grinned back at him, feeling very giddy about his response. Not being able to get inside her head must be putting him on edge, not that she cared at all. She sent another silent prayer of gratitude to Aerith. The woman was definitely on her side. "Oh, yeah, that's right," she said, her face mocking. "You can't touch me while I wear this, can you?"

"Choose your words wisely, Yuffie," Vincent growled back. There was a sexual undertone in his predatory look, and to Yuffie, it made him all the more sexy. Where did her attraction to dark and dangerous men suddenly come from, she wondered? She knew with the white materia, she was free from his hold on her, but why did it feel like that she was still under his influence? Why did his eyes, his mouth, his words still make her weak in the knees?

"And what would you do, dear old Vince?" She was testing both of their limits. She didn't know Vincent that well at all, and she wasn't sure how long she could go on mocking him before he had enough and disposed of her entirely.

Despite her thinking that, Yuffie was observant enough to notice the look in his eyes. It was a look that most men gave her. He wanted her, there was no doubt about it. That fact alone made her courageous, and the scales were starting to tip in her favor. In their little game of cat and mouse, Yuffie always felt like she was the one with her tail caught in between his teeth. With her protection now hanging around her neck, Vincent's advantage over her was gone... and it was starting to feel like a game between man and woman rather than vampire and human.

Yuffie smirked. And women always had a slight advantage over men.

Then again, Vincent wasn't just _any_ man, and baiting a beast with fresh meat was never a good idea.

But Yuffie never liked taking the safe route, it made life severely boring that way. "More importantly, what do you want to do?" It was such an open ended question, and she wanted to keep the conversation light. Yuffie playfully bit her lip, raising her hand to lightly thread through Vincent's long raven hair. She absentmindedly twirled a lock around her finger, briefly wondering what he used to make his hair so soft and silky. Did being a vampire have anything to do with it?

She heard Vincent breathe in and sigh. She took the chance to look up at him. There was a distinctive air of restraint hidden under the expression of his calm demeanor. His eyes were on her, his lips on full view, and the urge to kiss him was strong and steadily growing. If she wasn't wearing the talisman around her neck, she probably would have.

Yuffie broke the gaze, and heat suddenly painted her cheeks. The man was so intense; his mere presence overbearing. If a simple look from him can get her going like this, she wondered what lovemaking with him would be like. Her whole body flushed at the image of their tangled naked bodies under white sheets, flashes of her dreams coming to mind. She had to calm the fast beating of her heart. It was a miracle that she wasn't vibrating.

"It's really too bad." Yuffie tried to sound nonchalant while delicately handling the white materia in the palm of her hand. She pinned the chain with her two fingers and casually showed it to Vincent. It dangled freely between their faces, mocking him once more. "With this, there isn't anything you _can_ do. Pity."

He didn't look the least bit amused, which made this whole situation all the more hilarious to her. Curiosity was poking at her though, and she had the morbid thought of what would happen if he were to make contact with it? Aerith said that Demons couldn't touch it, but what about Vampires? It was clear that it had some kind of power to repel him as well.

Vincent's golden gauntlet suddenly grasped her wrist and he gave it a sharp jerk. The action caused her grip on the talisman to falter, the chain slipping in between her fingers. With his hold still on her, he yanked once more and that was all it took.

She watched in shock-horror as the talisman snapped apart. It fell to her feet, along with the materia that held it, with a loud clang. Yuffie was speechless, eyes going wide. This certainly wasn't in any of the scenarios she came up in her head.

_How did he..._

He had manage to remove the white materia from her... without actually touching it?

"That's cheating!"

"Hn." It was Vincent's turn to smirk.

That arrogant expression, the look of his eyes. It was so condescending. Frustration marred her features. She was tired of this stupid place, tired of seeing his perfect face and was certainly fed up with her life as of late. Yuffie gritted her teeth, and swung her fist toward his face.

Vincent easily caught her hand, his scarlet eyes flashing. "Resorting to childish antics, Yuffie?" It was like a parent scolding their child and she grew even more angry under his patronizing gaze. Attractive or not, this guy was a total asshole.

Then that annoying ringing in her ears came. He was reading her. Yuffie kept her mind a blank slate. She was never a creature of thought. She never contemplated her actions. It was always an immature quality people liked pointing out to her, but in this case, it served as an advantage. She grabbed at him with her other hand, pulling him to her. He came easily, and she took the opportunity to attack him, thrusting her knee at his groin.

The reaction was immediate. He doubled over, falling to his knees with a loud painful groan. Vampire or not, that place was every man's weakness. It was a total low blow, she knew, and she was sure that Vincent was beyond pissed off now. Yuffie took her opening and delivered a swift punch to his face, and it was a good one. The sound of her fist on his cheek felt amazing, overly satisfying.

But she was pretty sure she just sealed her fate with that.

Yuffie stood before Vincent, staring down at him. Eyes focused and wide, her whole body was tense and ready for anything. The entire room was silent save for her heavy breathing. She couldn't believe she had the galls to hit him; a vampire that could just as easily swipe at her and reduce her life to mere shreds if he ever had the thought to do so. Like right now.

Then something happened. _Something_ was seeping out of him in waves, making him glow scarlet red. It was consuming his entire body, and Yuffie had the sinking feeling she just release the beast within him.

"Look, I'm sorry, Vincent," she said, swallowing nervously. "I got scared, and you...shit! I'm very sorry."

The tension in the room doubled when he didn't respond, and Yuffie took a few steps back from him. She couldn't tear her eyes off of his form. It was eerie, the glow, his aura, she could feel something clawing from inside his head, begging to be released. The floorboards, shaking and rattling, her breath becoming ragged. The air in the room felt thinner, and Yuffie was quickly losing her focus.

Vincent raised his head to look at her, his eyes dark, the scleras completely blackened out. He stared intensively. Yuffie could see several different emotions flow across his face, anger being the most dominant. He rose to his full height, easily shadowing her petite form. His hair appeared suspended, hands clenched into fists. He looked like a wild animal, ready to pounce on his prey.

_Yep, he is definitely angry, and I am totally dead._

If there was ever a time to make peace with every bad thing she had ever done in her short life, it was now. Because soon, she would be meeting her maker. The thought of turning and running away from him didn't come to her. Not even for a moment. Where could she hide that he would not be able to find her? Should she risk it anyway? Now was the time to decide which death was less painful for her; be food for Chaos and his three creepy underlings or be ripped to pieces by Vincent and his clawed gauntlet? None were pleasing.

"Vincent! Calm down, please!"

Vincent moved toward her steadily, his gaze never wavering from her face. Yuffie cursed when she missed her chance to grab the white materia off from the floor, but from the look in his narrowed black eyes had her thinking it wouldn't have helped her anyway. He had her backing up against the wall. A sense of deja vu lingered in the back of her mind when Vincent's hands were placed against the wall on both sides of her head. His lip curled into a sneer, fangs elongated.

She made the mistake of looking into his eyes. It was a silent plea for him to stop, but the moment she did, she became transfixed. Everything in the background faded and all she could see was him. Dread escaped her, panic was now just a memory. Even if she were to die now, she was grateful that he at least took the fear out of the experience.

He commanded her, silently, to turn her head away. She did without thought, and he quickly set his mouth to work over the pulsing vein in her throat. He wasted no time in plunging into the flesh of her neck.

Yuffie whimpered, tightly latching onto him. She hated to admit that the sensation was strangely erotic for her, and even more so that she wasn't able to fight him off this time. Her vision was beginning to grow hazy and dark, her body cold and numb... and Vincent wasn't letting up on her. He continued to suck and pull at her, drinking her in. The sick horrible realization dawned. She was actually going to die.

Yuffie managed to gasp, a final plea for her life. "Vinnie, please."

Something she said must have made the gears inside his head turn in the opposite direction.

He immediately released her and she slumped against the wall, her hands coming around her neck. Yuffie looked disbelieving at him, trying to catch her breath.

"What just happened?" she asked, bewildered.

He was basking in the afterglow of euphoria, but it still looked like he was trying to hold something back. "I'm...sorry."

"What?" Yuffie could only stare at him incredulously.

"Cerberus," Vincent stated, swallowing. The seeping red aura was gone from him, as were his black eyes. "They got angry. I haven't... taken in a very long time and I became momentarily weak against their will."

"You have..." she started, gaping at the man before her.

"It resides inside me, yes."

"You're kidding, and I thought I had problems." She was familiar with the word Cerberus. The three headed hell hound that guarded the gates of the underworld. But the creature was suppose to be only in myths. Well, apparently, so were vampires and demons, but she never believed something like this was even possible.

"Consider it one of the many curses of being what I am."

There was an underlying fact she found hidden in his words, and it hit Yuffie like a punch to the face.

"You were human once," she stated. The thought just came to her, and she felt that she had to say it for her own sake rather than his.

Vincent's red eyes bore into hers, an emotion akin to relief shown there. The look did something strange to her heart. "I was."

Yuffie looked back at him, taken off guard by the vulnerability he showed to her. She found herself picturing what he would look like with normal clothes, a normal hair cut, and normal human problems. She wondered if he once had a favorite food, or a hobby he enjoyed. More importantly, she wondered what kind of family he left behind, or if there was a girlfriend, a wife, or someone special still waiting for him to come back home.

"I'm sorry, Vincent." She didn't know what she was apologizing for. Maybe it was for her punching him, or maybe it was for what came before that. Or maybe it was the fact that he had lost all of his humanity in the blink of an eye. What would she have done if she was the one stuck with his fate?

She didn't know why, but in that moment, she felt everything change. Her of view of him changed, and her heart broke for him. He was once like her, she realized. Someone who slept at night and didn't burn during the day. Someone who ate food and not blood. Someone who didn't have to deal with a three headed beast clawing inside their head whenever they let their guard down.

Underneath everything that made him a dangerous monster, he was human.

In a split second, she made her decision.

It wasn't the first time they kissed, but it was the first time she initiated it. Maybe it was for comfort, but she was lost on who she was suppose to be comforting. In the midst of the confusion of that one thought, she knew that she wanted to at least make him feel human.

Yuffie grasped his clothing, locking her fingers in between his belts. She wasn't sure if she wanted to pull him to her or push him away. She never felt so confused about someone before. Her feelings for him were constantly changing. One moment, she wanted to get as far away from him as possible, and the next, she needed him in every way imaginable.

Yuffie may have started the kiss, but Vincent was the one taking over. He devoured her mouth, his tongue slowly twisting with hers. A hand cupped her cheek while the other gripped at the skin of her thigh, wrapping her leg around his waist. He gently tilted her face up towards his where he pulled, sucked and nipped at her lips. He pressed her against the wall, encasing her with his body, leaving Yuffie so comfortably warm.

Yuffie suddenly pulled away from the kiss. She needed air.

Vincent's eyes were glazed over with lust, and he was breathing just as hard as she was. The fact that she could pull such a reaction from him had her wanting their kiss to start all over again.

That's when she took notice of her position. Their bodies were pressed tightly against one another. Her light blue dress, now hiked up around her waist. Heat pooled in her abdomen when she realized that it was him she was feeling so intimately between her legs.

"Vincent." She placed her palm against his chest. She was dizzy from his take of her, or maybe it was from the kiss. Either way, she really needed to lie down and gather herself.

But Vincent wasn't moving. Instead, he bent his head back down and kissed her again. The gentleness of the first one was now gone, replaced with a sense of urgency.

Yuffie's will was quickly fading. Having Vincent and his skilled mouth slanted over hers short-circuited her brain. Perhaps it was his strange powers now that he was free to continue his manipulation of her. Or maybe not, maybe he wasn't doing anything at all. Either way, she still didn't have a clear idea what he was capable of, but at this point, she didn't care.

"Bed," she managed to gasp, encircling her arms around his neck. "Now."

Vincent ignored her words. Instead, he kneeled to the floor, placing Yuffie on her back. She looked up at him quizzically, her breathing erratic. "I'm going to have you here."

Those words, spoken in his deep rough voice sent shivers through her entire body.

Vincent divested himself of his clothing, her pleasure skyrocketing higher with every piece of clothing he tossed to the floor. For some reason, Yuffie wasn't surprised when she found out that he didn't wear any underwear under all of that black leather. Now he stood before her, bare and in full view. Her eyes were greedily drawn to the area between his legs, immediately liking what she saw.

For once in her life, Yuffie couldn't come up with any words to ruin the moment. He was simply beautiful, beyond anything she saw in her short twenty-one year lifespan. Ropes of muscle and strength wrapped around his entire body, probably from years of fighting with other worldly creatures he wasn't suppose to know about. The muscles of his hips dipped into a 'V' and her eyes followed his body back down to the junction between his legs.

"Holy crap, are we really gonna do this?" Oh, wait. There they were, the words to ruin the whole moment.

But Vincent, he didn't seem to mind when he gave her a knowing look that made Yuffie's stomach twist and tighten with anticipation. Oh, yes, they were definitely going to do it.

He came back down to her silently, covering her body with his. His hand, strong and confident, trailed along the soft expanse of her thigh, coming to rest at the line of her waist. Vincent gave her a questioning glance. "Hmmm...you're not wearing any underwear."

Yuffie's face heated, flushing her skin even more. "Kinda hard to when you don't have any."

"Just one less thing I have to rip off you." Surprisingly, Vincent chuckled. The sound put her more at ease and she found herself smiling, too.

"You should do that more often, you know," Yuffie said, running her hands through his long dark hair. She pushed his unruly bangs from his face, framing his cheeks with the palms of her hands. For the first time, she got a clear close up of his face. His features were striking, the straight nose, full lips and red scarlet eyes. She never seen anything quite like him. "You are a whole lot prettier when you are laughing and smiling."

Both her hands were removed from him by his gauntlet, and he pinned them above her head. All signs of playfulness were gone from his face. Her blue dress was also pushed above her. He wrapped the cloth around her wrists, trapping them there. A spike of lust shot through her, full, powerful and raw. She twisted underneath him, feeling open and so very vulnerable. This was nothing like the dreams she had. Her emotions were doubled, the nerves in her entire body prickled with intensity and Vincent's skin was burning. Or maybe it was hers that was on fire.

Vincent sought her mouth, taking her once again, and in one quick swoop, he entered her.

Yuffie cried out against his lips. Her back arched and she stopped responding to his kiss. She was taken aback on how good it felt to feel so full. Yuffie was no stranger to the act of sex, she had a couple of boyfriends she believed she was in love with, but never had she felt so complete during the act of it. And the craziest part of it all was that she didn't believe love had anything to do with it.

It was hard to contemplate that last thought with Vincent being so slow and teasing with the careful administrations he made to her body. She certainly didn't think she was in love with him. She spent the majority of her time hating the man, after all. But she also knew there was a fine line between the two extremes. And it was starting to fade.

All she knew was that there was something between them and that was the one fact she couldn't ignore any longer.

She squirmed from underneath him, her legs coming up and locking around his waist. Vincent furrowed deeper into her, pushing harder, faster, and Yuffie was left with a pulsing pleasure bubbling up inside her. She bit her lips to keep herself from crying out. Vincent's heavy breathing sounded in her ears, and he nuzzled her throat where he sucked and nipped at the mark he left there.

Her urge to touch him was becoming desperate, and she started to fight against his restraints. Vincent held her tighter to the floor, biting at the lobe of her ear in a form of punishment.

"Vincent," she whined, her stomach tightening with every thrust he made. She didn't want this moment between them to be over so quickly, but everything he did just made it harder for her to hold on to it. The steady rhythm of his body, his probing mouth and the low whisper of his words were easily driving her to the point of no return. Against the hard surface of the floor, and Vincent's unyielding chest, Yuffie was feeling beautifully crushed. He dominated every part of her body and she finally surrendered to the pleasure that begged her to be released.

The guttural cry she heard was coming from her own mouth, her body twisting and arching as she came. Vincent kept his fast pace, prolonging her pleasure. He finally released his hold on her, now concentrating on his own need to be fulfilled. Yuffie removed the dress from her wrists, shoulders aching from his harsh restraints. Her brain turned to mush a long time ago, and the only thing she had the ability to do was focus on Vincent's face.

Emotion blossomed inside her chest, raw and unadulterated. The sheen of sweat on his skin, their tangled bodies and the closeness she felt with him the moment he looked back at her had her reeling from the intensity of it all. She could sense from the way he moved against her that he was close, and she kissed him for the second time as he brought himself to his own release.

The burn of tears were felt in her eyes and Yuffie willed them away. It was so weird and frustrating to her. What was she crying about anyway? Vincent was amazing, he made her feel things that were felt beyond the simple act of coitus. She would have coughed it up to her hormones going haywire and the fact that she experienced so much pleasure, but she had always felt strong conflicting emotions whenever she looked at him.

Vincent stilled above her, his red eyes studying her through their kiss. Yuffie swallowed and pulled back from him.

"Is there something wrong?" Vincent asked with concern. She would have brushed it off if he didn't sound so damn sincere.

"I don't really know." And it was the truth. She really didn't know.

The sweet cool air washed over her heated skin when Vincent removed himself from her. He now laid beside her, his hand coming around her waist and he pulled her flush against his chest. Yuffie didn't dare to turn to look at him. She couldn't stand to look at his eyes right now.

Instead, Yuffie opted to close her eyes and simply lay there with him.

This was totally out of character for her. She didn't sleep with men she just met a week, maybe two weeks ago. And she certainly didn't have an affinity for things like Vampires, no matter how attractive they were. In movies and books, she believed that their appearance and power were over exaggerated to make them more interesting, but that was her ignorance obviously taking a stance there. She had never actually met one until now.

And from the looks of Vincent, she could see that all of those claims about vampires were true and even more so.

Liquid fire coarse through her veins at the memory of their coupling, and she felt Vincent's body move from her side. He positioned himself above her once again, taking her body for his.

"What, again?" Yuffie asked, incredulously.

Vincent took her mouth into a heated kiss, pushing inside her once more. "Many times."

This man was going to be the death of her.

* * *

_A/N: Your sweet and sour lemon people! Does anyone else wish they were Yuffie right about now? Ahem..._

_More stuff and other fluff between these two in the future! Keep an eye out for the next chapter that is coming soon. :) Happy Friday, everybody! _


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